Praxair Rus to Supply Guardian Industries

DANBURY, Conn. & MOSCOW, Russia, – Praxair Rus, a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX), has reached a 15-year agreement to supply nitrogen and hydrogen to Guardian Industries’ new float glass facility in Rostov, a growing industrial region in southern Russia.

Praxair will build and operate an air separation unit and a hydrogen plant on the Guardian site. The facilities are scheduled to start up in the third quarter of 2012. In the float-glass production process, a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen provides a protective atmosphere, preventing the formation of dross which adheres to the glass in a natural atmosphere.

“Praxair and Guardian have worked together for many years in other parts of the world,” said Todd Skare, president of Praxair Europe. “Now we look forward to bringing energy-efficiency, productivity and environmental benefits to Guardian and other customers in Russia.”

For decades, glass manufacturers worldwide have received efficiency and environmental benefits from Praxair’s advanced combustion systems, heat recovery applications and world-class oxygen-delivery systems.

This is Praxair’s third project in Russia and the second in the south Volga River region. In October 2010 the company announced a contract to supply atmospheric gases to Plastkard, a division of the Nikochem Group and Russia’s largest producer of polyvinyl chloride. The air separation unit under construction in Volgograd, scheduled to start up in early 2012, will also supply the merchant market in Volgograd.

In January 2011 Praxair Rus entered into a contract to supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon to NTMK, a division of the EVRAZ Group, a leading global steel company. Praxair will supply more than 3,000 tons per day of industrial gases to NTMK in Nizhniy Tagil, the center of the industrial region of Sverdlovsk in central Russia. The new plants are scheduled to start up in late 2013 and will replace older air separation plants and produce liquid products for the local market.

About Guardian Industries Corp.
Guardian is a diversified global manufacturing company headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with leading positions in float glass, fabricated glass products, fiberglass insulation and other building materials for commercial, residential and automotive applications. Its automotive trim group, SRG Global Inc., is one of the world’s largest suppliers of advanced, high value coatings on plastics. Through its Science & Technology Center, Guardian is at the forefront of innovation including development of high performance glass coatings and other advanced products. Guardian, its subsidiaries and affiliates employ 18,000 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Visit www.guardian.com.

About Praxair, Inc.
Praxair, Inc. is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2010 sales of $10 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com.